Entrepreneur and philanthropist Jimi Heselden found dead

MULTI-MILLIONAIRE businessman Jimi Heselden has died after an accident while riding a Segway close to his Yorkshire home.

Mr Heselden, the founder and owner of HESCO Bastion, was found in the River Wharfe yesterday near to where he lives at Thorp Arch.

West Yorkshire Police confirmed that they had recovered a Segway device at the scene. Mr Heselden bought the company that makes the motorised two-wheeled scooters in January.

Leeds City Council chief executive Tom Riordan said: “We are all devastated and saddened to hear of the tragic death of Jimi Heselden . Jimi was an amazing man who apart from being a wonderful success story for Leeds due to his business acumen was also remarkably selfless and generous giving millions to local charities to help people in his home city.

“As a council we enjoyed great success with Jimi and HESCO Bastion working together with them to achieve a historic gold medal for the city at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and everyone who knew him will remember his quiet manner, good nature, and tremendous pride in being from Leeds.

 “He will be hugely missed and at this awful time our thoughts are with his family and friends.” 

Mr Heselden, a former miner, had donated £23m of his personal fortune to support the work of the Leeds Community Foundation and went public with his latest donation earlier this month in an effort to encourage others to follow suit.
 
LCF chief executive Sally-Anne Greenfield said: “It was a real privilege to have got to know Jimi over the past few months.  

“He was the kind of person that people call salt of the earth.  He did not have any airs and graces and was not giving the money to gain publicity or to boast about his success, but just because he wanted to make a difference. 

“Born and brought up in Halton, and with his company being based in South Leeds, Jimi was really keen to support local issues, particularly those that help people who might be struggling.  

“When asked why he gave, his reply was ‘I have done well in business and feel a duty to put something back and it makes me feel good to know I can help other people’.”

David Raw, director at Henderson Insurance Brokers, said Mr Heselden had recently agreed to provide financial support worth £20,000 to the Army Cadets where his wife is an instructor after their need for funding was highlighted by the Leeds Community Foundation.

He said: “Jimi has unselfishly given his hard earned donations to the Foundation without seeking anything in return. He will be sorely missed by the Foundation and the less well off in Leeds.

“I hope this tragic loss hits a chord with the wealthy of Leeds and the charitable amongst them,decide it is about time they similarly supported those less fortunate than themselves.

“Jimi was an inspiration and I, like everyone else he knew, should be inspired to carry on the work he enabled.”

Mr Heselden, 62, made his fortune after coming up with a way of using wire cages to build walls that is now used extensively as a way of defending military installations.

His company, HESCO Bastion, is still based in south Leeds close to where he was raised.

In a statement, the company said: “It is with great sadness that we have to confirm that Jimi Heselden OBE, has died in a tragic accident near his home in West Yorkshire. 
 
“Jimi Heselden, 62, was chairman of Hesco Bastion Ltd, the world leading manufacturer of protective barriers and owner of Segway, Inc.

“Jimi is perhaps best known for his charity work with Help for Heroes and the Leeds Community Foundation.  A £10m gift to the Foundation earlier this month saw his lifetime charitable donations top £23m.
 
“Our thoughts go out to his family and many friends, who have asked for privacy at this time.”

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said Mr Heselden was declared dead at the scene and it was not being treated as suspicious.